Sunset Beach Hotel Wedding - Shelter Island, Long Island
Shelter Island is a special place. An island within Long Island, it's nestled between the two forks and only accessible via ferry. But that’s part of what makes it so special, you don’t just end up there by accident. You have to choose it. And when you do, you’re rewarded with a place that feels completely unlike anywhere else out East.
Enter Grace and Emma, who came all the way from California for their wedding at the Sunset Beach Hotel on Shelter Island, New York. That should say a lot about how special it is. It’s one of the few places that feels totally unlike anywhere else in New York.. Perfect for a relaxed but elevated Long Island beach wedding.
The thing I want to highlight that you may not pick up on just from the photos was the timeline. Most weddings follow the usual ceremony-cocktail-dinner format, while Grace and Emma challenged that and came up with something I had never experienced in all my years as a photographer. The evening opened with an open bar and custom-designed games throughout the property. Guests arrived, drinks in hand, playing and mingling freely before Grace and Emma made their entrance. They skipped the hiding game and instead chose to embrace their guests. As the sun began to set, everyone went upstairs for dinner. The actual ceremony? That happened after dark, under the stars and solely lit by fire.
That's right, the ceremony didn’t open the evening, it anchored it. Allowing Grace, Emma, and all their guests to fully settle in, eat and drink to their hearts content, and be fully present by the time vows were exchanged. Once vows concluded, they sealed their ceremony with a kiss and held that embrace into their first dance. Not long after the little droplets in the sand transformed from tears to sweat and spilled tequila as all their guests joined them on the dance floor for one of the sweatiest, rowdiest parties I'd ever witnessed. I stayed as late as I could, putting my film cameras to work before I finally had to catch one of the last ferries off the island.
For creative couples considering a Long Island beach wedding but looking for something off the beaten path, a Shelter Island wedding at the. Sunset Beach Hotel is absolutely worth a look. Just don't forget to invite me haha.
From Grace and Emma…
“Danny shot the heck out of our Love Soirée! He took a dreamy mix of 35mm and digital photos that capture all the moments, big and small, that made our party so special. The photos he took are so casually sexy and fun and highlight the total joy and boundless love that we experienced that night. Danny has a real gift for finding beauty both in the places you’d expect (we love our beach portraits!) and the places you might not have thought of (he took some gorgeous photos of us in a hallway by the bathroom, and some of our favorite shots are simply of people’s hands). And not only is his work amazing, he’s also just an absolute joy to be around (which is probably part of why the photos turned out so well, because we felt so comfortable and relaxed with him!). We had the best, most chill time getting to know Danny during our initial couple portrait session, and so by the time our Love Soirée rolled around, we just fell right back into it and felt super at ease. We’re so grateful to Danny for capturing us in our best light on our big night and highly recommend working with him, especially if you’re having a ~cool wedding (not a regular wedding)~ and love 35mm!”
CREDITS
Venue: Sunset Beach Hotel
Planner: Emily Monus Events
Suit: Ron and Ron
Dress: Jason Wu
HMU: The Sanctuary Story
Dessert: By The Way Bakery
DJ: Manuel Peláez